Zakka I,Patriarch of Antioch completed 80 years of age yesterday.Except for an article in Malayala Manorama by Dr.D.Babu Paul,self proclaimed eyes and ears of Bava in India,none of H.H's sheep in India seems to have cared about the event.It is now becoming more and more clear that the so called JOC is interested only in projecting the Patriarch of Antioch as supreme spiritual head and show great reverence and unflinching loyalty to the prelate,but in reality cares little for the prelate.There is a fairly large number of innocent faithfuls in India who genuinely regards the prelate to be holding the keys of Paradise as the successor of St.Peter .For them facts or rationale matters little , aftaral religion has many dogmas,and for them this is one such dogma.The leadership of JOC wants to operate on their own terms ,but they are unable to state that stand in public , if they do that there is hardly anything that separates them from IOC on matters of doctrine , and those of them who holds the Patriarch of Antioch as the custodian of keys to paradise are sure to revolt.So they are playing a game of keeping the Patriarch at arms length at the same time outwardly showing great reverence.This gives them to do what they like and get away with it.Anyone raising questions is called an enemy of the throne of St Peter ,and the rest is easy.
At this juncture,it may not be out of place to analyse the track record of HH to Christianity in general,to the Syrian and Indian Orthodox Churches.There is nothing great to write home about H H's service to Christianity in general.Even Babu Paul does not claim any such thing.President ship of WCC about which Babu Paul is tom tomming is one that comes by rotation among member Churches.And HH is only one of the 7 Presidents of WCC.MOC had two of its representatives as Presidents in the past-Mrs Sara Chacko in 60s and H.G.Paulose Mar Gregorius in 80s.Dr M.M.Thomas and Yuhanon Marthoma Metropolitan from Marthoma Church also had been Presidents of WCC in the past.So the position is not something unique or great recognition for a prelate claiming to be the 134th successor to the throne of St.Peter and custodian of the portals of heaven.Only utility is that the pipers of HH can utilise that to create some excitement among the innocent faithfuls who blindly worship anything remotely related to Antioch.
The Syrian Orthodox Church today deserves sympathies prayers,support of all Christians ,considering the plight they are in.They are displaced from their homeland due to the civil war in that country,their following is fast dwindling,the prelate himself is in very pathetic health condition.Nevertheless,the internal strife in that Church sharply divided on racial lines has no respite.A good number of their members who migrated to various parts of Europe and US have the financial resources to support the Church,which they are doing.And that is what keeps the Church going.
However,the stance of the Church is not that of one that needs help,but that of extreme arrogance and superiority complex. The way HH tried to project himself as the chief celebrant in the ordination of Coptic Patriarch showed the prelate in very poor light . The propaganda that the Patriarch of Antioch being successor of St Peter has the right to consecrate the Patriarch of Coptic Church was a blatant lie.Even before the 4th century,the Coptic Patriarch had a higher position in protocol among the prelates of Roman empire.In today's situation,the Coptic Church has at least 5 times more numerical strength than the SOC of HH Zakka I . It is understandable for the JOC to make such false claims,but for a prelate of HH's level to stoop down to this level has certainly downgraded the image of SOC and its prelate.
Coming to the Indian scenario,HH had made some very positive moves post 1995 for unity of the Indian Orthodox community.But these moves could not bear fruit due to the extreme stances of a section on either side of the divide.It was the case in 1958 also.At that time Yakoob III patriarch over ruled the objections raised by the extremists of the then Bava Kakshi and went ahead.Unfortunately the present Patriarch became a tool in the hands of the extremists.
In the inter Church relations too,the Syrian Church has yielded so much to the Catholics that all protocols signed between the two Churches are so one sided that SOC has become an undeclared rite of the Catholic Church.
Considering the above facts,there is poetic justice in the absence of any celebration in JOC for the 80th birthday of the prelate.
